Foehliage Retreat Center — Galena, United States

A riverfront Christian-rooted retreat house under old oaks near Galena, Maryland

Guests keep asking about the name. The Foehliage is a pun, and it came from the trees. Erica, the daughter of owner Gene Foehl, looked at the profusion of oak foliage on the family's riverfront grounds and thought it uniquely beautiful and picturesque. Her last name, Foehl, is pronounced "foal." Put the two together and the place had its name. The original property was purchased in 2001 and held a small house and a cottage. The main house was much smaller then and was expanded over time in a renovation. The riverfront lot itself has never changed, and it is still defined by a canopy of giant oaks. Today a four-bedroom main house and a three-bedroom cottage look out over the Sassafras River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, in northern Kent County near the community of Galena. In June 2017 a second four-bedroom cottage next to the original grounds was added, along with more parking. Bedrooms can be private or shared. Three have private baths, and ground-level rooms are available. The main house has conference space and full-service dining for 16. The owners are candid that it is first a personal residence, so it cannot offer an allergen-free environment. Gene and Suzanne Foehl offer the place as a retreat grounded in the principles of the Christian faith, and it welcomes all groups. Through its own spiritual nonprofit operation it also runs community enrichment, youth and church retreats. The offerings are quiet by design. A hermitage stay gives one person a private cottage on the grounds, with access to the woods and a heated rustic boathouse set aside for meditation. A reflective excursion on the water is available as an extra. A three-day, two-night facilitated retreat takes up to 16 people, with prepared meals and a meeting room. The site's pages say the center now offers its facilities exclusively through The Retreat House, which schedules retreats, events and hermitage stays.

Traditions: Christian faith, Hermitage (respite) retreat, Silent retreat, Meditation

Programs: Hermitage Experience, Full Hospitality 3 Day Experience, On-water reflective excursion, Youth retreats, Church retreats, Community enrichment retreats, Corporate board strategic planning weekends